Don’t you just feel all warm and fuzzy right about now? Speaking of which, this Monday, The Blog, (decked out in its favorite Santa hat and reindeer sweater) will be too busy trying to con Peter Greenberg into standing under the mistletoe to show up for work. (The egg nog is spiked, and the car keys have been hidden.)

Those of you who are deskbound and logging on to the internets next week, no fear. Tuesday, we’re back, bad and tearing it up in New Orleans, through the weekend. There will be, among other things (or not), a great deal of eating.

Tune in for virtual reports on everything from po’boys at Parasol’s to the muffelettas (mmm…forbidden sodium) at Central Grocery. PLUS: Bonus boudin crawl through Breaux Bridge, some of those sweet, sweet, Mississippi-style tamales at Mama’s in Natchez and a whole lot else.

12/26 UPDATE: We’re on the road and facing connectivity issues – look for the first post this evening!